Charles walked through the Storm Clan's hallways, trailing a servant Lira had assigned to guide him to his new room.
The servant, a young guy in a pristine white tunic, didn't say a word, just moved with quick steps, head down.
Charles, in his new black tunic and shiny boots, couldn't help feeling a bit out of place.
The tunic's soft fabric brushed his skin, and the boots made a faint click on the stone floor, a sound that made him feel important.
'I'm not a servant anymore…' he thought, smirking. 'Can I start bossing people around now?'
The servant stopped at a plain wooden door, no carvings or frills, and pushed it open.
"Here," he said in a flat tone, then turned and vanished down the hall without a glance back.
Charles raised an eyebrow, surprised by the lack of fanfare.
"Wow, what a warm welcome," he muttered, stepping inside.
To his surprise, the room was way better than he'd expected.
The floor was spotless, not a speck of dust, gleaming under the light from a small window.
The bed, just a thin mattress on the floor, looked cozy, with neatly folded black sheets.
A small table sat in one corner with a stool, and a hook on the wall for clothes.
It wasn't a palace, but compared to the moldy closet he'd slept in before, this was luxury.
"Not bad," Charles said, tossing his old white tunic into a corner. "Thanks, silent guy."
Alone now, Charles closed the door and sat on the bed, the mattress sinking under his weight.
The room was quiet except for the faint hum of his thoughts.
'This is mine now,' he thought, looking around. 'Decent place, new tunic, Level 5… things are looking up.'
"System," he said softly, "show my status."
A blue panel appeared, floating in the air:
Name: Rian Cole
Element: Lightning
Level: 5
Stats
Health: 95/100
Energy: 30%
System Intelligence: 3
Control Level: 1
XP: 52/1600
Available Upgrade Points: 1
Charles nodded, pleased to see Level 5, but frowned at his energy at 30%.
"That's low," he muttered. "Thought all that walking would've charged me more."
As he sat in the silent room, an idea hit him.
"System, save this location as my new room."
The panel flickered:
[Location Updated: Fighter's Room – Rian Cole.]
"Perfect," Charles said, leaning back on the bed.
Then, more seriously, he added, "I want to use my upgrade point to raise my control level. Do it."
The system didn't respond right away. The panel flickered, and a new message appeared:
[Warning: Upgrading control level requires physical modifications to your body, which may cause intense pain. It is recommended to perform this upgrade in a safe location, away from interruptions or combat.]
Charles laughed, shaking his head.
"Pain? What's the worst that could happen?" he said confidently. "I'm in my room, nobody's barging in. Just do it."
The panel replied:
[Initiating Upgrade: Control Level 1 > 2. Progress: 0%.]
Charles settled on the bed, expecting a mild tingle. But suddenly, a sharp pain ripped through him, like pliers were squeezing his veins.
"Damn it!" he growled, clenching his teeth.
The pain spread from his chest to his arms and legs, like something was rewiring him from the inside.
He wanted to scream but held back, breathing hard.
He tumbled off the bed onto the floor, hands clutching his chest.
The panel floated before him, showing:
[Progress: 20%.]
Charles gasped, glancing at the door.
'If someone sees me like this, they'll think I'm dying,' he thought, heart racing.
With effort, he crawled to the door and slammed it shut, ensuring no one could see him from the hall.
Then he slumped against the wall, back pressed to it.
He inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to manage the pain.
It felt like his muscles and nerves were being stretched and burned at once.
'This is bullshit,' he thought, fists clenched. 'If I'd done this in a fight, I'd be screwed.'
But thankfully, the progress moved fast:
[Progress: 45%… 48%… 50%.]
Each second was agony, but Charles forced himself to stay still, breathing heavily.
'Just hold on…' he thought. 'It's almost done.'
He recalled the duel with Lucian, how he'd won without his power.
If he could handle that, he could handle this.
Finally, after what felt like hours but was likely minutes, the pain began to fade.
The panel flickered:
[Upgrade Completed: Control Level increased to 2 successfully.]
Charles let out a long sigh, wiping sweat from his forehead.
He was drained, like he'd run a marathon.
"That… was garbage," he muttered, still on the floor. Then he glared at the panel, a mix of relief and irritation. "Hey, system, why does it say 'successfully'? Can this upgrade actually fail?"
The panel replied:
[Upgrading control level involves physical modifications that can fail if the body is not prepared. In your case, your physical condition was sufficient to withstand the upgrade, so the risk was not deemed necessary to highlight.]
Charles's jaw dropped, a chill running through him.
"What?" he said, struggling to sit up. "Hold on. You're saying I could've died if my body wasn't ready? And you didn't think that was worth mentioning upfront?"
The system didn't respond immediately, fueling his frustration. Finally, the panel flickered:
[The risk was low due to your prior training. It was not considered relevant.]
Charles groaned, running a hand through his hair.
"Not considered relevant…?" he repeated sarcastically. "Damn it, system, that's the kind of thing I need to know."
The thought that he could've died upgrading his control left him cold.
'This is serious,' he thought. 'I can't just boost that skill like it's nothing.'
For a moment, he felt relief he hadn't tried upgrading control earlier, like during a fight or in public.
But he was also pissed.
Charles took a deep breath, trying to calm down.
"Alright," he said, voice tense. "Tell me how to keep that risk low. I don't want to die next time I try upgrading something."
The panel replied:
[Risk of failure decreases with regular physical training and a well-prepared body. Increasing endurance, strength, and elemental control through practice will reduce the likelihood of failure in future upgrades.]
Charles nodded, though he wasn't fully convinced.
"Training, of course," he muttered. "Everything in this place is about that…"
He decided to check his status again.
"System, show my stats."
The panel updated:
Name: Rian Cole
Element: Lightning
Level: 5
Stats
Health: 90/100
Energy: 15%
System Intelligence: 3
ontrol Level: 2
XP: 52/1600
Available Upgrade Points: 0
Charles frowned at his energy now at 15%.
"Why's my energy so low now?" he asked, impatience creeping in.
The panel explained:
[Increasing control level allows your body to store more energy. Your energy storage capacity has doubled.]
Charles grinned, despite the annoyance.
"So, I can hold more lightning now? That's cool," he said.
But curiosity pushed him further.
"Hey, system, what'd happen if I wanted to jump straight to Control Level 3? I know I don't have points now, but, hypothetically, what's the risk?"
The panel took a few seconds to respond:
[Estimated Risk: Medium. Control Level 3 requires more complex modifications, increasing the chance of failure if your body is not prepared.]
Charles raised an eyebrow.
"Medium? What's that mean?" he said, frustrated. "Give me a percentage or something clearer."
The panel replied:
[Current system intelligence level (3) is insufficient to calculate a precise percentage. Upgrading system intelligence will enable more detailed analysis.]
Charles cursed under his breath, slumping back on the floor.
"Damn it," he muttered. "So, if I want decent info, I've gotta upgrade the system too. What a vicious cycle."
The idea that his life hinged on a system that wasn't always clear made him uneasy.
'If I'm gonna survive, I need this thing to be more useful,' he thought.
But he also knew upgrading system intelligence meant more points, more duels, and probably more pain like what he'd just endured.
'So this is the price of living in this world, huh…?' he thought, staring at the wall.